watching the national geographic channel the other day, and a scientist said they can trace man back at least 4.5 million years...MILLION years.

however, and here's where some controversy begins, he says this is when they can figure man walked UPRIGHT. some scientists like to use the use of "tools" as the beginning of man, others like to refer to the use of "art" because no other animal uses tools as man does, nor do they have artistic abilities. so, some scientists, using those examples, like to say mankind can be traced back only 2.5 to 3 MILLION years.

but, uncovering skeletons that are dated 4.6 million years old, and proving they walked upright is apparently leaning more towards proving evolution does exist. needless to say, this will cause controversy for those who believe otherwise. as research continues, and more skeletons are discovered, they may be able to actually pin-point the time when man transitioned between walking on all fours, to walking upright.

gotta admit, that is pretty exciting, but one has to wonder how many skeletons older than 4.5 million years are left today to examine.

as a side note, not to bring up religion, but one would have to wonder why "god" waited so long to bring "religion" into the world. religion (most) only goes back a couple thousand years....not very long in the grand scheme of millions of years.

as a side note, not to bring up religion, but one would have to wonder why "god" waited so long to bring "religion" into the world. religion (most) only goes back a couple thousand years....not very long in the grand scheme of millions of years.

Are you sure? I believe "man" had religions tens, if not hundreds of thousands of years ago. They discussed it in the PBS documentary "Evolution"

_________________"To argue with a man who has renounced the use and authority of reason, is like administering medicine to the dead." -- THOMAS PAINE

anthropology degree here, it was 1975, but from what i recall at THAT time, they put actual "religion", that is, relics and remains that lead us tho think of this kind of stuff, it was 40-50 thousand years ago that you start to see pursposeful burials, trinkets, and we dare say, talisman type stuff around the places where humans lived..

In the past thirty years we've learned a lot. Enough to push art back to at least 80-90k ybp based on some relatively new discoveries in Eastern Africa. Modern Humanity itself (as in our species the one we belong to now) can be pushed back to somewhere between 190k-210k ybp. The 40k figure was largely a result of bias to claim that prior to the movement into Europe they weren't really humans. In fact the more we look the older it appears modern humanity (us) are species-wise. I've heard some very interesting things in the 100k plus time range have been found in China but they like to hold their discoveries close and prevent outsiders from seeing what they've learned.

_________________I am disillusioned enough to believe nothing will get any better yet compelled to make the attempt regardless